THE Photographer’s Guide to Minnesota’s North Shore; Second Edition
by Allen Utzig
Minnesota’s North Shore extends 150 miles from the southwestern tip of Lake Superior at Duluth to the Pigeon River on the Canadian border. Along it you can photograph magnificent cascading streams, breathtaking waterfalls, one of the most picturesque lighthouses anywhere and spectacular views of the world’s largest fresh water lake.
This book is a comprehensive guide to help photographers find the best photo locations along the North Shore. It includes GPS coordinates, descriptions of trail difficulty when hiking is required and photographs made by the author, complete with captions. The book includes the best photo locations in Duluth, Gooseberry Falls State Park, Split Rock State Park, Tettegouche State Park and Temperance River State Park. It also identifies photo sites along the Cascade River, the Devil’s Kettle and the area around Grand Portage.
The book also includes chapters on photographing waterfalls, basic composition and nighttime photography.
The chapter on waterfalls discusses essential equipment, selecting the correct shutter speed, aperture and ISO settings to get the best photograph.
The author illustrates the importance of using the correct settings by marking up photos with incorrect settings, explaining the problems created and describing how to fix them.
The chapter on basic composition includes an explanation of the rule of thirds as well has techniques for successfully capturing three-dimensional scenes and displaying them on two-dimensional media. It also includes discussions of geometric patterns in photography as well as the importance of photographic housekeeping.
The author teaches his audience how to make nighttime photographs, including photos with star trails and those without by relying on the “Rule of 500”. He also describes how to photograph moonbows, how to “paint with light” and gives examples of creative nighttime photography.